Stay and Defend
by theultimatezb
Summary: Holly decided that she's had enough of putting up with Gail's emotional crippled self.
1. Chapter 1

**I've decided to try writing something with a little drama. My analysis of Gail might not be totally accurate, please forgive me. Might continue if it garners interests and provided I can find some new inspiration. Let me know what you guys think!  
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* * *

Holly is sitting on her sofa, a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other. She hasn't turned a single page ever since she picked up the book. Her eyes are fixed on the pages, but her mind is somewhere else, deep in thoughts about her relationship with Gail, if you could even call it that.

For the past few weeks ever since their kiss in the interrogation room and the night at the hospital, Gail has been coming over every other day, be it drunk or sober, demanding sex or simply just wanting to sleep next to Holly. In the morning Gail would either be gone or make excuses such as being late for work or needing to be somewhere. Sometimes there would even be radio silence from the blonde for days. At first, Holly didn't mind. She understands that Gail is going through a rough time with the shootings and her friends(although she would never admit it), Sam and Chloe, who are fighting for their lives at the hospital. Holly has been there unconditionally for Gail, giving her whatever she needs.

However, she's had enough with Gail's behavior. She can't keep waiting for Gail to be ready to have a proper conversation about where they stand. Holly's only human and her patience is running thin. What happened to cool, confident and understanding Holly? She thought to herself as she takes another sip of her red wine. How did she end up in this predicament? She feels like the pathetic lesbian who falls for straight girls, straight girls with commitment and emotional issues. If two years ago Holly could witness the sight of her future self now, past Holly would've ask her to get her shit together and move on.

Holly is being pulled out of her train of thoughts by the knock on the door that gradually becomes a continuous pounding with shouts of her name. No doubt it was Gail. She rushes toward the door and takes a deep breathe to compose herself before opening it. She wondered why none of her neighbors have yet to complain about the late night disturbances for the past weeks.

"Gail." Holly states coolly, trying not to give any sign of weakness away.

"Holly." Gail tries to push herself against the other woman's body, closing in for a heated kiss but was stopped midway when Holly places a firm hand on the blonde's chest. Holly immediately smells the whiff of alcohol on Gail as soon as she opened the door. She's drunk and her bloodshot eyes did nothing to hide it either.

"You're drunk. Go home."

"What's wrong, Holly? Not like it has stopped you before. Why are you being such a prude all of a sudden?" Holly is hurt by what just came out of Gail's mouth, but tries her best not to lose it.

"Just go home and sleep it off. We can talk when you're sober." Holly's attempt to slam the door in Gail's face failed as she quickly puts her hand on the door to stop the force. Even when drunk, she's still got quick reflexes, Holly gives her that.

"No." Gail pushes herself pass the brunette and walks into the apartment. Holly sighs and closes the door behind her. Once the door closes, Gail grabs Holly by her waist tightly and plants a sloppy kiss on her lips. For a second Holly lets herself get lost in the moment, before realizing that enough is enough. She needs to rip off the band aid and deal with this once and for all.

"Stop!" Holly pushes Gail away, leaving the blonde stunned.

Once Gail manages to find her bearings, she starts speaking loudly in the quiet apartment. "Don't act like you don't want me. Wait, you don't want me anymore, do you? You're just like the rest of them, kicking me aside once you think you've had enough of me, or you can't handle me anymore, or realize that I'm not good enough for you. Is that it? Am I not good enough for you?"

"Gail…" Holly doesn't know what to say to her. She's furious that Gail thinks so little of her, yet a tiny part of her heart goes out to Gail. She wants to kick her out of her apartment, yet she wants to envelop Gail into a hug. Holly doesn't know what to do.

"Whatever. Go find another girl to go to the batting cages with." Gail turns around a tad too quickly for the door and her head starts to spin. She almost falls to the ground, but Holly was quick to rush to her side and hold her up.

Although Holly is incredibly disappointed and upset with Gail, there is no way the blonde will be able to make it home herself. She guides Gail over to the sofa and lay her down slowly. She then went to the closet to get an extra pair of pillow and blanket to tuck Gail in. Gail is out immediately after her head hits the pillow.

* * *

It's 7am and Holly is tossing and turning in her bedroom, unable to fall asleep without waking up every other half an hour. She's replaying last night's events in her head, thinking if she could've handled the situation properly. Maybe she should've said something, have some kind of reaction, good or bad, rather than not doing anything at all? She takes a few tentative steps into the living to check if Gail is still asleep, or have she disappeared again. When Holly finds Gail still sound asleep on the sofa, she decided to change quickly and get out of the apartment before Gail wakes up. She can't handle anymore Gail drama right now. She needs to get away, anywhere but near Gail.

Gail wakes up around 11am with a killer headache, trying to find out whose sofa she's lying on. It took her a moment to realize she's at Holly's. Regret and embarrassment washes over her as she recalls last night's incident. She runs her hands over her face, not at all sure what to say to Holly when she sees her. She looks over at the coffee table to find a glass of water and a bottle of aspirin accompanied by a scribbled note.

_Out running errands. Take these for the hangover. Lock the door behind you when you're leaving. – H_

A pang of guilt hits Gail so hard that she's not sure if wanting to throw up is because of the hangover or the fact that Holly is still looking out for her after the things she said and did last night. She takes the aspirin and gulps down the glass of water. For the next 15 minutes, she contemplates whether or not she should leave before Holly comes home. Gail had a feeling that if she walks out the door right now, this is it between her and Holly. Holly is not going to forgive her for all the shit she's put her through.

Gail realizes that Holly is the only person in the world whom makes her feel at peace, whom creates a sanctuary, a safe haven for her at her home, in her arms. Holly never asks anything in return; maybe that's why Gail is always running to her and running away from her. She never thought about how Holly would feel, always giving and not receiving the same amount of compassion, love and generosity. She knows she's gone too far this time, and she needs to apologize to Holly, to beg, to grovel, for forgiveness and to make things right. So, Gail decides to stay put until Holly returns home.

* * *

It took a couple of hours before Gail hears the front door unlock. Her heart drops to her stomach and she quickly stands up looking at Holly's direction. She used the time she's been waiting for Holly to rehearse what she wants to say to her. But now, seeing Holly in front of her, her mind goes blank. She does a quick once-over to read Holly's body language. Holly's back is hunched, her head down. She then looks into Holly's eyes once the brunette looks up. She sees defeat, confusion, hurt, disappointment, and any other heart breaking emotion, you name it.

Gail feels as if her heart is being ripped apart at the sight of Holly. What has she done to the beautiful, charismatic, confident and funny Holly that she adored deeply? Gail wants to run over and hug her, hold her in her arms, but that's probably a bad idea.

Holly is genuinely surprised to see that Gail is still in her living room. She's also furious. The anger and disappointment she felt last night has returned. She quickly recovers from her initial reaction and leans against the wall, arms across her chest.

"What are you still doing here?" Holly's expression is unreadable.

"Um, waiting for you." Gail answers quietly.

"Oh? I thought you'd be gone by now."

Although Gail deserves the dig that's thrown at her, she can't help but feel a little hurt by it. She shakes that thought out of her head and puts her game face on.

"I know you're not expecting me to be here, but I am, and I'm here to make things right." Gail explained. Holly keeps a mouth shut, waiting to hear what Gail has to say.

"After last night, I realize what I've been doing to you these past few weeks has been unfair to you, that you don't deserve to be treated this way –"

"It's basically emotional abuse."

"Okay, if you put it that way." Gail is determined to accept whatever that comes her way. "You have to understand, all my life, my relationships failed, because they think I'm not giving enough of myself to them. People don't understand it's hard for me to commit a 100% emotionally if they keep leaving me."

"Don't you play the victim here. I've told you several times that I won't leave you." Holly can't help but snap at Gail.

"I know, I know. I'm not playing the victim card, I just want you to understand that this is all I know to do. To be in a relationship physically and not emotionally. Or when I'm finally willing to let my guard down to care for someone, to love someone, it's too late. But I'm willing to try with you, if it's not too late. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Holly. I want to be better for you, with you. I don't want to be the reason for you to look the way you did when you first entered the room. I hate it. I hate myself for it." Gail sighs and looks down at her feet. She closes her eyes to gather herself before looking back up at Holly.

"Please give me another chance." Gail begs, tears stinging her eyes threatening to spill.

Holly takes a moment to take in what Gail just told her. Seeing Gail vulnerable and open, Holly realizes she has crumbled almost Gail's entire impenetrable wall, she can see the regret, hope and sincerity behind those blue eyes.

"Under a few conditions."

"Name it." Gail replied immediately.

Holly pushes herself off the wall, but rooted to the ground still. "First, no alcohol for a really long time. I don't think I can handle drunk Gail anymore, anytime soon." Gail nods. "Second, I need you to talk to me. I need to know what's going on in that head of yours. I can't help you if you keep it all to yourself. I'm not a mind reader!" Gail nods again. "Third, no more running. As long as you stay and fight when things get tough, which I promise it will, I assure you that I will be there and I will not leave you, unless you want me too." Gail nods one last time.

"I promise you, I'll do my best. I won't screw it up this time." Gail breathes out.

"This time? There's a next time?" Holly raises an eyebrow.

"I won't screw it up, _ever._"

"That's better."

Holly walks over to Gail, pulling her into a hug. Gail breathes in the scent that is Holly, burying her face in her hair.

"You hungry?" Holly asks in an attempt to lighten the mood and change the subject.

"Always." Gail smiles her best smile that Holly had missed so much.

* * *

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Looks like I've decided to continue this story after all. The therapy session was a bit difficult to write, as I'm not sure what therapists ask their clients/patients during these things. So please bear with me if it's not great! Do let me know what you think and if there are any errors! Might have scrambled up this chapter while feeling a bit more sleepy than usual ;)**

* * *

"So, what's on your mind today?"

_What's on my mind? If I were to tell you what's on my mind, we'd be here all day._ Gail is at the shrink's for her mandatory session again. She is starting to take these sessions seriously, since she has issues she needs to sort out, and insurance is paying for it anyway. Might as well make use of it.

"Well, two of my fellow officers are still in the hospital, their lives hanging by a thread. We're all worried."

"What about you? How are you feeling after getting shot at? That must be quite a traumatic experience." Dr. Reese asks.

"I'm just glad I'm not lying on a hospital bed or dead or something." Gail shrugs as her hand absentmindedly dust off imaginary specks of dirt on the leather sofa. She really feels lucky and thankful for coming out of that nightmare unscathed. She can't say the same for Oliver, Sam and Chloe. However, she did wake up a few times in the middle of the night hearing gun shots in her sleep with her heart pounding out of her chest, unable to go back to sleep. She tells herself this is nothing compared to her kidnapping. Gail tries not to go there right now and shakes that thought out of her head.

"What about psychologically? Are you really alright?" Dr. Reese probes further, both the doctor and Gail know this is what she's really asking about.

"I'm fine, okay? Besides, I have someone who's looking out for me."

"Oh? Do you want to talk about that someone?" Dr. Reese is intrigued by this confession from the blonde. Gail is usually rather closed off and distant during their sessions together.

"You know, that friend I told you about a couple weeks ago when I was here. Holly?" Gail wasn't sure if she told Dr. Reese her name before.

"Right, Holly. It's nice to have a friend who looks out for you." Dr. Reese nods.

"I don't think she's just a friend anymore. To be honest I don't even know. Like, is she my girlfriend? We had this fight yesterday and it was totally my fault, I treated her like crap and I finally realized what an asshole I was being. I'm just glad she's giving me another chance." Gail blabbers in one breath, not at all sure where all this is coming from. But deep down Gail's glad she can talk to someone about Holly.

"Why did you treat her the way you did?"

"I guess I didn't want to deal with being in a relationship, since all my relationships in the past failed. Then I realized that, without these failed relationships, without going through what I've been through, I wouldn't be here with Holly. And I know Holly wouldn't hurt me. Also, I don't want to hurt Holly too. But my actions in the past have proven me guilty. "

"And do you want her to be your girlfriend?" asks Dr. Reese.

Gail's eyes widen. She hasn't exactly given much thought about this. Sure, she and Holly made up after their fight, but they haven't talked about their relationship status. Is there a status? Are they girlfriends? Girlfriends. Holly being her girlfriend. Holly being hers, and only hers. Gail likes it. Yeah, she wants Holly to be her girlfriend. Gail affirms to herself internally.

By the lack of response and the look of shock on Gail's face, the doctor continues. "Maybe you should have a proper conversation with her, ask her how she feels and then you two can figure it out from there."

"Thanks doc, you're kind of useful after all." With that, Gail saunters out of the office. She's meeting Traci and the Penny in a few. By the time she arrives at the Penny, Traci's about to polish off her first mug of beer. She takes a seat beside Traci and waits for her to finish her beer.

"Hey Gail, how was it at the shrink's?"

"Oh, nothing much. Hey bartender, can I have a coke please." Gail brushes off the question.

"Gail Peck ordering a glass of coke at a bar? Who are you and what have you done with Gail Peck?" Traci has a look of surprise on her face.

"I'm trying to lay off the booze for a while. Last night was _not_ pretty." Last night's incident flashes through Gail's mind. She wonders when the guilt and embarrassment will go away. Probably not for a really long time.

"Chris told me you weren't home last night. Where did you spend the night?" Traci enquires.

"At Holly's." Gail shrugs, hoping Traci would drop the interrogation, but she knows that won't happen.

"I take it she wasn't happy when drunk Gail turned up at her front door last night?"

"Yeah, I acted like a lunatic and then I begged for forgiveness earlier today." Gail explains vaguely, not wanting to go further.

"What did you do?" Traci asks, like she expected Gail to do something stupid sooner or later.

"I don't want to talk about it." Gail's tone let Traci knows that this discussion is about to end here.

"Fine, fine. Wow, she must be real special for Gail Peck to beg for forgiveness and stop drinking, even if it's for a little while." Gail rolls her eyes at this statement. But it's true though. Holly Stewart is pretty darn special. The conversation moved on to Sam and Chloe. Traci told her that they're both stable and everybody's a little more relieved for now.

They talked for an hour or so before Gail remembers she's going to hang out with Holly at her apartment. During her drive over to Holly's, she thinks about how she's going to ask Holly to be her girlfriend. Should she plan a whole speech or just straight up ask her? She figures even if she has a speech all planned out, it probably won't come out of her mouth once she sees the brunette anyway. That's what Holly does to her. She stops Gail in her tracks with her beautiful smile and charming personality. Gail sounds like a stuttering fool next to her. So she decides to wing it.

She climbs up the stairs to Holly's apartment. _What if she says no? What if she doesn't want to be my girlfriend? _These thoughts keep appearing in her head, anxiety taking over. She wasn't even aware she has reached Holly's front door and subconsciously knocks on the door. The door flings open in a flash, presenting a pair of warm chocolate brown eyes staring into her own bright blue ones. Holly is wearing a tight light blue tank top and a pair of shorts that hangs low on her hips, showing off tanned bare skin between her tank top and shorts. Her hair is hanging loosely over her shoulders. _She looks perfect. She always does._

"Be my girlfriend." Gail blurts out while she closes her eyes. She doesn't think she can say anything to Holly with her looking like that. She'd rather kiss her all over the place. When she opens her eyes, Holly gives her the brightest smile Gail has ever seen in the world.

"Only if you'll be mine first."


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm at the airport suffering from a 6 hour layover, so I might as well write a short new chapter to kill time? Also, I may have written this on a not so comfortable chair with my back hurting like a bitch. Might not be great and if there are any errors, please do let me know :)**

* * *

Gail languidly runs her fingers across Holly's arm. It frightens her in an almost positive way how comfortable she feels in the brunette's presence. They're sitting on the couch of Holly's apartment in a comfortable silence. Gail can't quite believe she actually asked Holly to be her girlfriend, and Holly actually said yes.

"So… Now that we're a couple, does that mean we share each other's clothes?"

"I thought you said flannels and fleeces are not your style." Holly replied in a jokingly manner.

"I just… I'm not sure how to do this whole relationship thing with another woman." The conversation suddenly took a serious turn.

Holly turns to look at Gail face to face. "It's the same as any relationship you've had with men. Nothing's different. Just be yourself, your snarky, sarcastic, grouchy yet lovable and charming self." Holly's smile is infectious. Gail can't help but smile too.

"I know. It's just, even when I was in relationships with men, I didn't know what to do either. That's why I screwed it up. I don't want to screw it up with you."

"Remember what I said last night? Just don't run. Don't run and talk to me when things get difficult. As long as I know you're trying, I will be there. I won't let you screw anything. Deal?" Holly runs her hand absentmindedly through Gail's hair.

"Deal" Gail nods her approval.

Satisfied with how the conversation went, Holly bends forward towards the coffee table to get her glass of wine. Her shirt runs up showing off smooth olive skin on the small of her back. Gail is quite mesmerized by the display of Holly's skin. She's surprised at how little it takes for Holly to unknowingly turn her on. Holly takes the wine glass in her hand and sits back into the couch to take a sip. Gail watches this whole scene unfold in front of her in slow motion. The way Holly's finger tips hold the glass elegantly. The way Holly's throat moves when she gulps, showing off her long neck. Gail's eyes then moves to the brunette's cleavage. She's quite entranced by the whole scene that's playing out in front of her. She just wants to touch Holly, anywhere and everywhere. Arousal surge through her like lightning and the heat at her core tells her she probably can't take it any longer. She _needs_ to touch Holly.

Gail leans forward and takes Holly's glass of wine from her and places it back onto the coffee table. She then straddles Holly and run both her hands up and down her sides under her shirt, causing Holly to gasp for air.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? Putting on makeup and braiding your hair? I want to touch you." Gail's voice seems to have drop to a low and sultry voice.

"No, st-stop. Gail, please." Holly gently pushes the blonde away during a heated kiss.

"What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?" Gail's blue eyes flew open immediately.

"No, you did nothing wrong. It's just, I don't think we should do this."

"If you don't want to this whole relationship thing, just say so, Holly." _Another rejection?_ Gail stands up and heads for the front door abruptly.

Holly is stunned by Gail's sudden movement towards the door. What's happening? _Please don't run._

As if Gail heard Holly's thoughts, she stops at the doorframe with one foot out the apartment. _I promised her not to run. What am I doing? _Gail takes a deep breath and turns around after what felt like an eternity. She walks back to the couch slowly and looks at Holly, ashamed by her sudden outburst.

"I'm sorry."

Although Holly is glad Gail stayed, that does not mean she's letting this slide. She also feels like she should have been clearer with her words and they should have had a more in depth conversation about their newfound relationship status from earlier, boundaries and stuff.

"What the hell was that? Why did you that? You thought I wasn't in this relationship with you after I agreed to be your girlfriend?" Holly can't help but look a disappointed. Gail doesn't blame her though.

"I'm sorry. I don't know where that came from. Look, I get it if you want to take things slowly-"

"No, you don't get it. I want to take things slowly because for the past few weeks I've felt like a doormat, Gail. You coming to my home late at night to sleep with me and then leaving the morning after. Do you know how that feels?"

Gail cringes at Holly's words. "I'm really sorry, Holly. I wasn't thinking clearly. I promise that won't happen again. I'm here. I didn't run, and I'm also here for you. Whatever you need, even if it means going to the batting cages every day and no sex for a year."

Holly can't help but smile at that admission from Gail. She knows the blonde is trying, but she's not sure how many sudden Gail outbursts she can handle. Holly really adores Gail the way she is, but sometimes she can be little over the top.

"Don't regret what you just said. I'm giving you a chance to take it back." A smile is threatening to take over Holly's face.

"I regret nothing." Gail holds her head up high and gives Holly a toothy grin.

After a moment of silence, Holly surrenders to Gail's cuteness. "Nevermind. I don't think either of us will come out alive if you step into the batting cages again. And even I cannot go without sex for a year, not with you looking like that. And I'm sorry too. I should've told you how I felt and made things clearer before you tried to storm out of here."

"No, it's ok. It's fine. We're fine, right?"

"Yes, of course." Holly nods with a smile on her face.

With that, the tension dissipates into thin air. The both of them returned to their previous positions on the couch earlier, with Holly laying her head on Gail's shoulder. After another long moment on comfortable silence, Gail speaks up again.

"Are you free tomorrow night?"

"I guess so, why?"

"Want to go for dinner together?"

"You asking me out on a date, Officer Peck?"

"Yes, I am."

"Sure."


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews so far, I really appreciate it :)**

**I'm quite careless when it comes to writing, so I hope you don't mind if there are any errors!**

* * *

There's a knock on the door and Holly rushes over to open it. Before she does, she takes a deep breath to calm her nerves. Holly straightens her shirt for what seems like the hundredth time now. Although Gail and Holly have been seeing each other for some time now, this is technically their first official date. Holly has no idea why she's so nervous. _Get it together, Stewart._

"Hi."

"Hey." There's a moment of silence between them. Gail pushes her hair behind her ear, blushing a little. She's been looking forward to this date with Holly all day. But right before she knocks the door of Holly's apartment, nerves took over her too.

"You ready to go?" Gail finally breaks the silence.

"Yeah, yeah, just let me go get my stuff."

* * *

"You brought me to a diner near the precinct? 10 bucks says you only thought of this place on your way over to mine. You're putting so much effort into this date." Holly teases, she's not at all disappointed or anything, Gail can bring her thrift shopping and Holly won't even care. Anywhere away from the walls of Holly's apartment is great. Not that she minds spending time with the blonde at home in their little bubble, but she would also like for them to do some normal couple stuff together.

This diner isn't just any other diner. The food's great of course, but it's the Peck siblings' favorite hangout place. When they were younger and needed a place to run to in order to escape from the wrath of their mother, they would always come here. When Steve broke up with his first love, Gail brought him here for his favorite milkshake. When Gail had problems sleeping after her kidnapping, she would call Steve and they would come here for supper. This diner saw tears and laughter of the Peck siblings since they first discovered this place.

"Ouch, Holly." Gail responds placing a hand over her chest, feigning hurt. "I'll have you know that this is probably the best diner in town. Once you've tried their burgers and shakes, you'll be begging me to bring you here next time."

"Fine, let's go find out then." Holly nudges Gail's shoulder before leading her into the diner while holding the blonde's hand. Gail smiles at the gesture. The whole Canada knows Gail is not a big fan of PDA, but something about the other person being Holly makes it different. Holly Stewart is turning Gail Peck into a sappy mush.

When their food arrives, Gail immediately digs in. She looks like she could eat a cow, ordering chili fries, a huge burger and a milkshake. She also plans to order a slice of pie later. Holly shakes her head. _Incredibly high metabolism, I guess._

"You're right, the food's really good. Consider me impressed."

"Told you. So, now that we're dating, I realized I don't know a lot about you." Gail asks between stuffing fries into her mouth and drinking her shake.

"Well, what do you want to know?" Holly sits back against her chair.

"Hmm… When's your birthday?"

"April 27th. What about you?"

"November 2nd. Siblings?" _Looks like Gail's interrogating me. Might as well go with it._

"Only child." Holly shrugs.

"Favorite color?"

"Green."

"Favorite food?"

"I love salad. I eat any kind of salads."

"Oh my god, Holly, who name salad as their favorite food? You're such a health freak." Gail shakes her head. She's not surprised though, she can imagine Holly being the type of person who wakes up at 5 in the morning to go for a run, or working out whenever she has free time.

"And you're not? You're a cop, don't you work out?" Holly raises her brows, waiting for an answer from the blonde.

"Only when I have to run after perps."

"Why am I not surprised." Holly takes a bite of her burger.

Gail just shrugs and continues to devour her food. She doesn't even bother to defend her nearly non-existent health consciousness. She's almost proud of it.

"What about your favorite food?"

"Cheese puffs!" Gail's eyes light up at the thought of cheese puffs. Holly can't help but think Gail is probably the most adorable human being right now, no matter how disgusting cheese puffs are.

"That's revolting."

"If you want me to stop eating them just because you're my girlfriend and you think I'll do everything you say, I'll break up with you." There's a moment of silence and Gail immediately regrets what she just said.

"I'm kidding I'll never break up with you, Holly. I'll stop eating them if you want me to." Gail grabs Holly's hand across the table, squeezing lightly. _Man, you're so whipped._

Holly didn't answer immediately because she wants to mess with Gail, looks like it worked. The blonde is looking at her nervously.

"You can eat them, but just stay away from me when you do. I don't want your orange fingers anywhere near me. Besides, do I look like one of those controlling girlfriends? Geez, thanks for thinking so highly of me." Holly smiles her lopsided grin. Gail lets out a breath she was holding earlier.

"You're welcome."

They spent a couple of hours chatting over their shakes and shared an apple pie for dessert. Gail paid the bill and they left the diner hand in hand.

"You wanna take a walk at the park nearby? Seems like a quiet night today. Might be nice." Gail asks.

"Sure, why not."

They both walk in comfortable silence, fingers intertwine, sometimes glancing at each other for a moment or two with warm smiles on their faces. They head to a bench and sits down after their stroll.

"You know, you're the first person I've brought to the diner. Steve and I shared many good and bad memories there together and that place is very special to the both of us. Now I would like to create new memories there with you." Gail's eyes water at the thought of the memories at the diner.

Holly is pleasantly surprised by this admission from the blonde. She's glad Gail is opening up and this is quite a big step. Holly appreciates the thought.

"Of course, I would love that." Holly kisses Gail and smiles brightly at her. Gail can't help but smile back too.

"Let's go, it's getting late."

* * *

"Looks like we're here." Gail pulls the car to a stop in front of Holly's building. She doesn't want the night to end, but it's getting really late and she needs to be up early for her shift tomorrow.

"Yeah… So, do you wanna spend the night or something?" Holly asks, unsure what the blonde's answer would be.

"Maybe another time."

"We don't have to do anything you know, except for sleep." The brunette answers quickly.

"I know, but I have a really early shift tomorrow. I would really like to, but I don't have my stuff with me in the car, so…" Gail fidgets in her seat.

"Oh, it's ok then. Go home. Get some sleep." Holly gave Gail a reassuring smile.

"Ok. I had a great time today."

"Yeah, me too. Thanks for dinner." Holly smiles.

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow?" Gail asks, hopeful.

"Of course. I'll call you or something. Goodnight." Holly kisses Gail on the lips, lingering a little before getting out of the car.

"Goodnight." Holly walks into her building with a huge smile on her face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long wait, been traveling a lot and had some trouble plotting this chapter. But it's here now, enjoy it and constructive feedback is always welcomed.**

* * *

Gail: I want to see you tonight.

Holly: Two nights in a row? You're getting really attached aren't you?

Gail: Food, alcohol and Reality TV programs at my place after work?

Holly: Sure, why not.

Gail: Great. See you at 8 then.

Holly: See you later, Officer Peck ;)

_I want to see you tonight._ The short exchange between Holly and Gail via text messaging gave Holly some warm and fuzzy feelings that starts in her chest and spread to her toes. The way those simple words manage to create such a reaction within Holly is incredible. Something about the blonde officer being blunt about how she feels of not getting enough of Holly sends a smile to the brunette's face.

Holly is basking in her new relationship glow. Throughout the day at work, Holly walks with a slight bounce in her steps and a twinkle in her eye. It seems that Holly Stewart is under Gail Peck's spell, and she's definitely okay with it. However, she was broken out of her Gail Peck trance some time during the evening qt the morgue.

"Hey Holly, have you heard about what happened at 15th?" Holly's colleague, Eric, brings it up when he walks into the morgue to grab a report from her.

"Nope, what is it?" Holly quirks an eyebrow, can't help the sinking feeling that's beginning to form in her stomach.

"Apparently an officer has been shot today. She was responding to a robbery call and the guy just shot her and ran away." _She?_ Holly's breath catches in her throat. A female officer from 15th was shot and her mind straight away went to Gail.

"Do you know which officer?" Holly tries to ignore the loud pounding of her heart in her chest.

"No idea." Eric answers with a shrug.

"Then do you happen to know which hospital?" Holly enquires with her big expressive brown eyes. If it's really Gail, she wants to be there.

Eric shakes his head and sighs, "As if 15th division hasn't got enough officers in the hospital already."

"Eric, could you cover for me? There's somewhere I have to go." Holly's already halfway out of her office when Eric agrees to do so. She takes out her phone from her bag and quickly dials Gail's number. It went straight to voicemail. Shit. She dials again, but no luck. Holly is in full panic mode now.

"Gail, where are you?! Please be alright. Please call me when you receive this, okay? Please let me know you're alright!" Holly races over to her car and got in. She decides to go over to the precinct to check if Gail's there. During her short ride there, memories and thoughts of their relationship flew pass her mind. _This can't be it, we still have our whole lives ahead of us to spend together._

When she arrives at the station, she sees Chris manning the front desk and races over to him. Chris could barely greet her before she cuts him off.

"Where's Gail?!" Holly asks Chris in a frantic tone.

"Uh, she's not here?"

"What do you mean she's not here? Where is she, Chris?! Is she in the hospital? Is she the officer who got shot?!" Holly raises her voice while she leans over the desk and grabs Chris by his shoulders, shaking him in order to get an answer out of him.

"Holly, calm down! Sergeant Best asked Gail to leave early today because she's been working crazy hours recently because of what's happened here. Things were going back to normal so Best gave her some time off." Chris finishes in one breath. Holly lets go of Chris at the same time as she lets out the breath she's been holding.

"What about the officer who got shot?"

"Officer Decker? That happened when Gail already left the precinct. Officer Decker's fine though, luckily it was just a flesh wound and not somewhere deadly."

Holly sighs loudly, suddenly feeling like an idiot, trudging into 15th like that, looking like a hysterical person.

"That's good. I'm sorry, Chris." Holly lets her eyes fall to her shoes, unable to look at Chris.

"It's fine, I get it. You should go over to the apartment though. Gail should be home by now." Chris gives Holly a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, I probably will. Thanks, Chris."

"No problem. Have a great night."

With that, Holly leaves the station and went back to her car. On her way over to Gail's apartment, Holly went through the events that happened over the span of the past 15 minutes in her mind. She has gone through a range of feelings, from content and happiness to worry and panic, and then relief. Holly's in a mess and she can't wait to see Gail, to hold the blonde in her arms again.

Holly jogs from her car to Gail's apartment door, knocking relentlessly until the door finally opens to reveal her girlfriend, looking irritated by all the knocking.

"What the hell's your prob… Holly?" Gail's surprised to see Holly arriving earlier than the time they agreed on.

Holly launches herself onto Gail and held on tight. It takes Gail a moment to hug the brunette back after the initial surprise she felt. Gail eases back and looks at her girlfriend with worried eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"You're alive. You're here." Holly's hands reaches for Gail's face and smooths her thumbs over pale cheeks without breaking her gaze from those blue eyes she adores deeply. She moves her right hand over to Gail's chest and closes her eyes, feeling the beating of the blonde's heart.

"Of course I'm alive! What are you on about, Holly?" Gail's perplexed, wondering what's going on with Holly.

"I was working at the morgue and I heard that a female officer has been shot, so I got worried and left looking for you but your phone's off and I didn't know what to do so I went to the precinct and Chris told me you left early and then I came here."

"Oh. Yes, I heard about that on my way home. So glad Officer Decker's going to be okay. My phone probably died along the way back, I forgot to charge it last night. I'm sorry for making you worry about me." Gail can't help but feel guilty for making Holly worry like that. She wishes there's a way to get rid of all of the worrying but it's her job. There's nothing she can do about it. Serve and protect, that's what she does on a daily basis. That's what she's been trained to do to her whole life.

"It's… fine. You're alright, that's all that matters." Holly hugs Gail again and breathes her in. She doesn't know what she would do if something happens to Gail. She quickly shrug that thought away and focus on the present, that Gail's in her arms now, safe and healthy. She pulls back slightly and kisses the blonde on the lips slowly. What begins as a soft and warm kiss becomes passionate and hungry. To hell with taking it slow, Holly wants Gail and she wants her now. She doesn't want to waste any more time she has with her girlfriend. Carpe diem, or whatever. Holly pushes Gail into the apartment further, heading towards her room. She begins to tug at Gail's top, wanting it off. Gail places her hands gently on Holly's wrists in order to stop this from getting too far.

"I thought you wanted to take it slow?" Gail whispers.

"It doesn't matter now. I want you." Holly leans in for another kiss but Gail pulls away.

"I-I just don't want you do this because you _can_, and because of what happened. Take all the time you need, I'm not going anywhere, Holly." Gail reassures her.

"I just want you. All of you. _Now._" Holly whispers back in a husky tone and continue what she started. Gail lets her without putting up a fight.


End file.
